Coupling means



E. B. PARKER couPLING MEANS Sept. 29, 1964 Filed May 8, 1952 INVENTOR EARL B. PARKER United States Patent O 35.5%,883 CUPLHNG MEANS Earl B. larlrer, Athens, la., assigner to ngersoll-Rand Company, Nen1 York, NKY., a corporation of New .llersey Filed May 8, 1962, Ser. No. 193,121 i claim. (ci. zas- 321) This invention relates to a coupling means and, more particularly, to a guide sleeve tor needle type descaling tools including coupling means for securing the guide sleeve in a plurality of preselected positions relative to the needles and housings ot such tools.

ln descaling tools having a plurality of needle like bits which me mounted ror longitudinal reciprocation, it is desirable to provide a guide sleeve extending over part ot the length oi the needles to support and guide the distal end portions of the needles as they reciprocate. A guide sleeve is also desirable to shield the needles against accidental damage and to permit the operator to grasp the tool near the distal ends of the needles to achieve more accurate control of the tool.

l-leretotore, as exemplified in US. Patent No. 2,672,677 to l). Von Arx, guide sleeves were not adjustable relative to the distal ends oi the needles so that no change in the area of impact ot the needle ends was possible except by substitution of dillerent shaped guide sleeves or by providing the tool with two heads each having a set of needles and a fixed guide sleeve. This latter mentioned tool construction is undesirable since it provides a tool which is relatively complex and unwieldy and of limited usefulness in contined working space.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide, in a needle type descaling tool, a guide sleeve which is adjustable relative to the needles of the tool.

Another object of this invention is to provide a guide sleeve for a needle type descaling tool which is of simple, inexpensive construction.

A further object of this invention is to provide a guide sleeve for a needle type descaling tool wherein adjustment of the guide sleeve relative to the needles of such tool can be achieved quickly and easily without the use of any tools or instruments.

A still further object ot the present invention is to provide a guide sleeve for a needle type descaling tool which includes a simple and inexpensive means for locking the guide sleeve in a preselected position relative to the needles ot the descaling tool.

further object of this invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive coupling means for connecting a hollow member to another member wherein said hollow member surrounds the other member, and which means is capable of uncoupling the members without the aid ot tools or instruments.

It is therefore contemplated by the present invention to provide a guide sleeve for a needle type descaling tool comprising a tubular member adapted to extend coaxially over the needle bits and capable of being axially moved relative to the needles and the housing of the tool. To secure the tubular member in one of a plurality of preselected positions to the tool, a locking means is provided. The locking means includes engaging means for engaging the tubular member and the housing of the tool to lock the tubular member in position to the tool. The engaging means is constructed and arranged so as to be disengageable from the tubular member and the tool housing without the aid or" any tool or instrument.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FlG. l is a View partly in section of a needle descaling tool having a guide sleeve according to this invention;

Patented Sept. 29, 1954 FIG. 2 is a section taken substantially along line 2-2 of FIG. l1;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional View taken substantially along line 3-3 of FG. 1 showing the locking collar according to this invention in the locked position to secure the guide sleeve to the descaling tool;

FIG. 4 is a View similar to FIG. 3 showing the locking collar in the unlocked position to release the guide sleeve for movement relative to the descaling tool; and

FIG. 5 is a view in perspective of the locking collar.

Now referring to the drawing and more particularly to FIG. l, the reference numeral 10 generally designates a needle type descaling tool of conventional construction. The descaling tool 1l) comprises a housing, the forward end portion 12 of which is of reduced diameter and has an open end to receive the shank 13 of an anvil 1d. In the rear portion ot housing 1l is disposed a sleeve l5 which forms a piston cylinder in which a piston hammer 16 is disposed for reciprocation. A throttle valve (a part of which is shown projecting from the housing at 17) is disposed in the rear portion of housing il to control ilow of fluid under pressure from a source thereof (not shown), such as a compressor, to the tool via supply hose 13. Actuation of the throttle valve is achieved by means of a lever t9 which is pivotally connected by pin Ztl to housing 11. The tool is also provided with a conventional valve (not shown), such as a apper valve, and conventional porting (not shown) to control tlow ot pressure fluid alternately to the front end and rear end of the piston cylinder so as to ctect reciprocation of piston hammer t6.

Anvil 14 has a cup shaped end portion 21 which is integral with shank 13. A needle holder 22 is secured within end portion 21 by means of a snap ring 23 which maintains needle holder 22 in abutment against an internal annular shoulder 24 formed by a counterbored portion 25' in the end portion 21 of the anvil.

As shown in FIGS. l and 2, needle holder 22 is provided with a plurality of spaced bores 26 each of which bores is counterbored at 27. A needle type. bit 2S, having an enlarged head 29 at one end and tapered at the opposite end to provide a cutting edge 3o, is disposed in each of the bores 2o. The enlarged head 2g of needles 28 functions to prevent the needles 2S from passing through the bores 26 and thus out of engagement with needle holder 22. As shown in FIG. l, the needle holder is mounted in spaced relationship to the bottom of cupsnaped end portion 21 so that a substantial space is provided within which each of the needles 23 is permitted to move axially relative to each other. v

To secure anvil 14: within the forward end portion 12 or" housing 1i, a tool retainer assembly 31, such as is shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,854,238, is provided. The tool retainer assembly 3l, as fully described in the aforementioned patent, bri-elly comprises a ball 32 which is retained in a socket or opening 33 in the end portion 12 of housing 11 by a sleeve 3d. Sleeve i3d is secured to the housing end portion 12 by a snap ring 35S. Sleeve 34 is provided with two spaced holes of different diameters, the smaller diameter hole being shown at 36 while the larger diameter hole, which is not shown, is of a diameter slightly larger than ball 32. The larger diameter hole serves, upon rotation of sleeve 34 into alignment with ball 32, to allow the ball to move out of the notch 37 in shank 13 of anvil ltwhen it is desired to remove or insert anvil 14- in housing end portion 12 of the tool. Interposed between sleeve 3d and the housing end portion 12 are two pairs of O-rings 38 which serve as shock absorbers. As shown, sleeve 34 is dirnensioned in length so that it lies in close spaced relationship with an annular shoulder 3? formed in housing 11 by reduced end portion 12 so that an annular space 40 is aisaess ened between the end of sleeve 34 and shoulder The function of annular space 4i) will hereinafter be plained.

In operation of the descaling tool lil, depression of lever 19 actuates the throttle valve, not shown, which valve permits pressurized fluid to ilow into the piston cylinder thereby effecting reciprocation of hammer piston 16. n each forward stroke of hammer piston i6 it strikes the end or" shank i3 of anvil lll thereby imparting impacts to the latter which impacts, in turn, are transmitted to needles 28, and from the needles, to the surface being worked.

To provide a support and guide for needles 28 and to provide the operator of the tool with a means for grasping the tool as close to the ends of the needles as possible for more accurate control of the tool, a guide sleeve 4l is provided. As shown, guide sleeve il comprises an open ended tubular member l2 and a somewhat frusto-conical shaped end cap 43 secured to the forward end or" tubular member 42. The internal diameter of tubular member 42 is slightly larger than the outside diameter of housing il so that tubular member 42 can be passed over the needles 2S, anvil 14, and Vslidably engage housing l1.

For securing guide sleeve 4l in any one ot a plurality or preselected positions, the tubular member 42 is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced arcuate slots 4d which cooperate with a locking collar 45 and annular space tu as hereinafter more fully described.

As best shown in FIG. 5, locking collar 4S comprises a relatively thin walled open ended cylindrical member constructed of relatively resilient material and longitudinally split at 46. The inside diameter of the locking collar 4S, in unstressed condition, is smaller than the outside diameter of tubular member 4Z so that when it is slipped over the tubular member it is placed under tension. The collar is also provided with a tang 47 which lies in a plane perpendicular to its longitudinal axis and extends inwardly to the axis thereof.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, tubular member 42 is slid upon housing il until one of the slots 44 is brought into register with annular space 4t) to permit tang 47 of the locking collar to extend through a slot 44 into annular space 4l) and thereby lock guide sleeve 4l in position to descaling tool 1b. lf it is desired to change the position of guide sleeve 41, locking collar t5 is rotated, in either direction, but preferably clockwise as shown in FiG. 4. The ends 4S of the edge of tang 47 of locking collar 45 are curved to provide a camming surface so that, upon rotation of the locking collar relative to tubular member 42, it readily rides out of slot 44 and thus out of annular space 49. With the locking collar 45 in the unlocked position, as shown in FIG. 4, tubular member 42 is free to be moved axially to another preselected position. When another slot t4 is brought into register with annular space 4t), the locking collar is moved axially to bring tang 47 in alignment with the registered slot 44 and is then rotated, preferably counter clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 4, relative to tubular member 4-2 toward slot 44 and, since tang 47, when riding on the surface of the tubular member places the collar under additional tension, the tang will snap into slot 44 and annular space 40. Thus, the guide sleeve 41 is locked to descaling tool l0 in another preselected position.

.slots through It can be readily seen from the foregoing description that a Jnovel guide sleeve for a descaling tool has been provided which is simple and inexpensive and is capable of being adjusted relative to the tool in any one of a plurality of longitudinal positions without the aid of tools or instruments. It is a guite sleeve which permits the operator of the tool to exercise a high degree of control for each or" a variety of working spaces.

Although the invention has been described as applied to a guide sleeve for a needle type descaling tool, it is to be understood that the in ention need not be restricted thereto, but has application to connecting any hollow cylindrical member to anc-ther member wherein the hol low member surrounds the other mem er and quick and easy disconnection of the members is desirable.

Although but one embodiment of the invention has been illustrator. described in detail, it is to be expressly underst` od that the invention is not limited thereto. Various changes can be made in the arrangement of parts uit tout departing'from the spirit and scope of the invention as the same will now be understood by those skilled in the For example, an arcuate or annular groove may be provided in the outer surface of housing 1l into which tang 57 may extend in place of the annular space formed between sleeve and shoulder 39 of housing lll without departing from the scope and spirit ot this invention. It is also within the purview of the present invention to have the guide sleeve slidable witi.- in the housing and providing the housing with arcuate which the tang of the locking collar may extend to a slot in the guide sleeve.

I claim:

Coupling means for connecting a hollow cylindrical member to another cylindrical member wherein said hollow cylindrical member surrounds said another cylindrical member, said coupling means comprising a slot in said hollow cylindrical member and a groove disposed in said another cylindrical member in register with said slot, and a split resilient rinfy disposed on said hollow cylindrical member for rotative movement relative to the latter, said split resilient ring having a relatively large width so as to be readily grasped by hand and having at one peripheral edge an inwardly projecting tang dimensioned to extend int said slot and said groove to lock said hollow cylindrical member and said another cylindrical member together, said tang having inclined end edges cooperating with the ends of said slot upon the rotation of said resilient ring to force said tang out of said slot and said groove and thereby disconnect said hollow cylindrical member and said another cylindrical member.

References Cited 'm the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

